A New Leaf: Nissan’s Recycling Plan for Cheaper Electric Cars

Here’s another sign that the future of the car business and the future of the power business will be linked one way or another.

Nissan just outlined plans to make its battery-powered cars such as the LEAF more affordable: Put the used batteries to work storing electricity for power generation. From the WSJ:

Nissan Motor Co. and Sumitomo Corp. said they will establish a joint venture to recycle lithium-ion electric car batteries, which could give Nissan an early lead in the fledgling electric car market by making its vehicles more affordable.The venture will enable the Japanese automobile manufacturer to lower the prices of its zero-emission vehicles by taking into account the resale value of their batteries, Nissan Chief Operating Officer Toshiyuki Shiga said […] The recycled batteries will be used to store energy received via photovoltaic solar panels on residential and industrial devices, for instance, or to store back-up power, Nissan’s Mr. Shiga said.